Clothes-line support



(No Model.) 3-Sheets-Sheet '1, R. MoNAB.

CLOTHES LINE SUPPORT. No. 463,163. Patented Nov. 17,1891.

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(No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet s. R. MQNAB. CLOTHES LINE SUPPORT.

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W/TNESSES.

A TTORNE Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT MCNAB, OF PATERSON, NE? JERSEY.

CLOTH ES-LINE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,163, dated November17, 1891.

pp ca o fi d February 1891- fierial No. 380,479. (No model.)

T0 coZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MONAB, of Paterson, in the county of Passaicand State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Clothes-LineSupport, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of clothes-linesupports which are adapted to be secured in a window of abuilding and tohold one end of a line, the opposite end being held upon suitableoutdoor supports.

The object of my invention is to produce a convenient and durablesupport which may be quickly and easily brought to a desired position,which may be easily adjusted, so that the arm carrying the main-lineroller may be made to align with any outdoor support, and which is alsoadapted to automatically adjust itself to any decrease in the length ofthe line.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view showingthe support secured in thewindow. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation,partly in section, showing in detail the outer and inner supports forthe main swinging arm. Fig. 4 is an end view, partly in section, on theline at 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation of thepulley-head which carries the clothes-line. Fig. 6 is a broken detailview of the cross-arm for supporting the main swinging arm, the viewbeing taken looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is asectional View on the line 77 of Fig. 8, showing a modified form ofpulley-head. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the, same. Fig. 9 is across-section showing in detail the form of pulley-head illustrated inFigs. 7 and S. Fig. 10 is a broken plan view, partly in section, showinga modified form of the main arm and showing also a modified form ofpulley-head and a modified means for adjusting the main-arm support.Fig.

11 is a broken detail side elevation of the free end of the arm shown inFig. 10 and the pulley-head secured thereon. Fig. 12 is a longitudinalsection on the line 12 12 in Fig.

13, showing a modified form of pulley-head and main arm; and Fig. 13 isa side elevation of the same.

A corner-bracket A is secured to the outside of a window-frame 13 highenough to provide for the swinging movement of the main arm, asdescribed below,and on the outer side of the corner-bracket areprojecting horizontal lugs a, which vertically align and between whichis pivoted a horizontal support 0, which is slotted longitudinallythrough the center and which is held in position between the lugs bymeans of a pin D, which extends downward through the lugs and throughthe thickened end 0' of the support, the lower end of said pin beingscrew-threaded and provided with a thumb-nut D, by means of which it isheld in place. On the inner side of the cornerbracket A is a lug a, onwhich is pivoted to swing horizontally an arm E, the outer portion ofwhich is formed into a screw E, and made to extend through the slot inthe support 0, and mounted on the screw on each side of the support is aout 6, and by means of these nuts the support 0 may be held in adefinite position.

On the outer end of the support 0 is journaled the main arm F, said armbeing secured at one end to the support, so that it may swing freelythereon, and the arm is provided on one side'and throughout a greaterportion of its length with ratchet-teeth f. It has also near the centralpart a slot f, in which the line-tightener is held, as described below.

Journaled on the outer end of the support 0 is a pulley G, which servesas a guide for the clothes-line. A pulleyhead H is held to slide on thearm F, the head having on the side adj aceut to the ratchet-teethparallel lugs Hf, between which is pivoted a pawl H one end 72, of whichis bent inward, so as to engage the ratchet-teeth and the opposite endof which is bent slightly and provided with a latch h, which latch ispivoted in the end of the pawl and the length of which is such that byturning it at right angles to the pawl it may be made to press upon theratchet-teeth, and thus prevent the pawl and head from slipping. Thepawl is held normally in engagement with the teeth by a spring 7L2,which is secured between it and the body of the pulley-head.

On the opposite side of the pulley-head from that which carries the pawlis a bent arm I1 which serves as a support for the pulley J, whichcarries the clothes-line K. A device for tightening and guiding the lineis secured in the slot f of the main arm, which device comprises arectangular block L, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, which blockslides in the slot, and secured to the block by means of a boltl and nutZ is a depending arm L, which carries a horizontal spool or guide Lunder which the clothesline runs, and by sliding the block in the slot fthe'guide may be brought into a desired position, so as to tighten theline, as hereinafterdescribed, and, as the block is rectangular, itcannot turnin the slot f, and the pressure comes upon the spool or guidein such a way that itwill not slide the block in the slot. The roller Lholds the line taut by pressing downward upon it, and if the line is tootight it may be removed from the roller.

The main arm F will normally hang ina perpendicular position, asindicated by dotted lines in'Fig, 1; but when it is used to support aline while the clothes are being put on it is held in a horizontalposition by means of the following mechanism: A plate M is secured tothe inner side of the window-frame, so as to align horizontally with theouter corner-oracket A, and the plate has centrally thereon a boss M,which has slots extending horizontally through it to receive, support,and guide the cross-arm N, which arm is slotted so that it may slideeasily in theparallel slots of the boss. The plate M has also a screw m,which extends outward between-the members of the slotted cross-arm N,and the 'screw is provided on the outer side with a thumb-nutm, which isprovided on theinner.

side with a Washer, as shown in Fig. 3, and by tightening the not uponthe screw the washer will impinge upon the cross-arm and prevent itt'romslipping.

The cross-arm N has journaled to theend next the windowa swinging plateO,tl1e bearing 0' of which extends vertically through the cross-arm, thepin forming said bearing being screw-threaded at the top and providedwith a'nut 0', which maybe tightened so as to hold the plate and pin ina fixed position. The outer end of the plate 0 is turned up to form aflange o, and the plate is-adapted to support the main arm F, as shownin Fig. 1,

when clothes are suspended from the line.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 I have shown a modified form of pu1ley-head,thehead H having on one side the arm H and pulley J, as already described,but having on the opposite side a spring-pressed pin 77/ which carriesat its inner'end-a block h, adapted to engage the teeth of the main arm.

In Figs. 10 and 11 is shown another form of pulley-head H", whichcarries the pulleyJ in a manner similar to the heads already described,and which is mounted to slide on a main arm F, which is supported in thesame manner as the arm F, described above, but which is slottedthroughout nearly its entire length and has a perforation f near theextreme free end. The pulley-head H has a pair of rectangular lugs 71which are adapted to slide in the slot of the main arm, and extendingthrough one of these lugs and through the pulley-head is a screw h",which is provided on one side with a nut and which serves to hold thehead in place and also forms the pivotfor the pulley J. Extendingthrough one of the lugs h is a spring-pressed pin 71', which at one endis formed into a head it and which at the other end carries an arm 71,which is bent inward at the end, so as to engage the perforation f 2 ofthe arm and thus hold the pulley-head in place.

In Figs. 12 and 13 I have shown another modification of the main arm andanother form of pulley-head, the arm F having a se ries of notches finone side,and the pulleyhead consisting, chiefly, of a U shaped frameH, which is held to slide on one side of the arm and which is mounted ona pin 71. which carries the clothes-line pulley J, and which extendsthrough the slot in the center ofthe arm,and on theipinismountedaspringpressed button h, which is shaped'to fitin'the notches fand which normally prevents the pulleyhead from sliding; but by pullingoutward on the button it-may be released fromthe notches and thepulley-head may be moved to any desired position.

Instead of using the screw-arm for adjusting the support 0, thesupportmaybe slotted and-provided with a notched block 0, arranged in one endof the slot, as shown in Fig. '10,- and a notched curved arm 'E may bepivoted on the lug CL, so as to-extend through the slot and engagethe'notches on the block 0. The

arm may be held in engagement with the notched block by means of a pine,and it will thus be seen that the support O-may be held in any desiredposition.

The support is used and'operated'as follows: The line'K is passedaround-the'pulley J and the opposite end around a suitablepulleyout-of-doors, in the ordinary way, and when clothes are tobe dried uponthe'lin'e the arm F is swung into a horizontalposition, the support 0 isswung so as'to make the pulleyhead H align with the outdoor-pulley, andthe plate of the cross-arm N is adjusted beneath the main arm F, so asto support the same, the plate 0 beingswiveled in'a proper position andprevented from turning bytightening the nuto. The main arm willthus beheld in a fixed position,'and it willbe readily seen that it may be madeto align with any out-of-door support. The clothes are run out on theline in the usual manner. The lineis placed upon the'pulley G and themain arm is dropped into avertical position,so that the IOL.

window may be closed. The line may be slackened by removing one or bothmembers of it from the pulley G, and, if desired,it may be placed uponthe pulley L and in this case the pulley may be adjusted by means of itssliding bearing, and, as the strain comes angularly upon the bearing,the bearing will not slip, which may be moved toward the free end of thearm and will be held in place by the pawl H and the latch h. The springbeneath the pawl H should press outward hard enough to hold thepulley-head in place under ordinary circumstances without using thelatch h, and then, if under the influence of moisture the clothes-lineshrinks, when the tension becomes very great the pulley-head will beslipped up a distance of one or more teeth on the main arm, thuspreventing the line from being broken. lVhen the arm F is to be dropped,it is raised from the plate 0 and the plate is swung from beneath it, orthe crossarm N is pushed inward, and the main arm will then drop of itsown weight into a perpendicular position.

I do not herein claim the combination, with a swinging main arm pivotedat the outer side of the window, of a laterally-adjustable cross-armsupported on the inner side of the window-frame, and a swinging platesecured to the cross-arm and adapted to support the main arm, as thisconstruction is claimed by me in another application, Serial No.397,689, filed June 27, 1891.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. A clothes-line support comprising a slottedsupport secured to the outer side of a window-frame and held to swinghorizontally, an armpivoted on the window-frame and extending throughthe support, means for securing the arm and support in a fixed position,a main arm journaled on the support and adapted to swing vertically, apulleyhead carried by the main arm, and an adon one side with teeth, apulley-head held to slide on the arm and provided with a pawl to engagethe teeth, and an inside support for the arm, substantially asdescribed.

In a clothes-line support, the combination, with the main swingingtoothed arm, of a pulley-head held to slide thereon, a springpressedpawl mounted in the head and adapted to engage the teeth, and a latchpivotedin one end of the pawl, substantially as described.

a In a clothes-line support, the combination, with the swinging armhaving a slot therein and a pulley-head thereon, of a spool or guidehaving a bearing which is held to slide in the slot, substantially asset forth.

5. In a clothes-line support, the combination, with the swinging mainarm adapted to support a clothes-line, of a cross-arm secured to thewindow-frame adjacent to the main arm, a swinging plate mounted in theend of r the cross-arm-and adapted to extend beneath the swinging arm,and means for tightening the plate in place, substantially as described.

6. In a clothes-line support, the combination, with the swinging armadapted to sup-. port-a line, of a plate secured to the windowframe andprovided with parallel horizontal slots, a cross-arm held to slide inthe slots of the plate, means for tightening the arm upon the plate, anda swinging plate secured to the end of the cross-arm and adapted toextend beneath the main arm, substantially as described.

ROBERT MGNAB;

Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUrcHINsoN, C. SEDGWIOK.

